We have developed a novel damage monitoring system that can monitor the integrity of composite structures in aircrafts.
In this system, fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors are used as sensors and piezoelectric transducers (PZT) are used as the
generators of elastic waves that propagate in the structure to be inspected. The damage monitoring system can detect the
structural integrity by the change in elastic waves that are detected by the FBG sensor and arrayed waveguide grating
(AWG)-type filter. We confirmed that the structure health monitoring (SHM) system was able to monitor the damage
initiation and propagation by a change in the waveform of the elastic waves in coupon specimens and structural element
specimens. In this study, we demonstrate the detectability of the damage monitoring system by using a subcomponent
test specimen that simulates an actual aircraft wing box structure composed of carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRPs).
The FBG sensors and PZTs are bonded to the surfaces of hat-shaped stringers by an adhesive. Damages such as de-bonding
and delamination are introduced in the bonded sections of the skin and stringers by impact. Damage monitoring
and diagnosis are carried out by the SHM system under ambient conditions. We successfully verify the detectability of
our system.
We have developed a generation pulsed-laser scanning method for visualizing the propagation of ultrasonic waves.
While scanning a target object with a pulsed-laser beam to generate thermal-exited ultrasonic waves, we detected the
propagated waves with a fixed PZT transducer. Although the detected waves were generated from different irradiation
points, we were able to produce moving images of the ultrasound generated at the reception-transducer position by
reconstructing the measured waveform data. This method has the following features that make it superior to the
conventional visualization methods such as photo-elasticity method, reception probe scanning method and computer
simulation. (1) it enables us to visualize ultrasonic waves propagating on a complex-shaped object with curved surfaces,
steps, and dents. (2) it provides excellent working efficiency by eliminating the need for adjustments to the laser
incidence angle and the focal distance. For these reasons, we believe that this new method can be effectively applied to
the inspection of defects in the field. In this study, we examined the applicability of this method to CFRP materials, and
the results demonstrate the validity of this method for nondestructive flaw inspection in CFRP-structures.
This article reports the results of a study regarding the development of a system to detect the impact damage in composite
materials, which is a critical issue concerning aircraft structure. The authors developed a system that could detect the
occurrence and growth of damage in composite materials using an FBG optical fiber/PZT actuator hybrid sensor system.
In this research, the authors investigate whether or not this system can be used for the detection of both the impact and the
damage generated as its result; this system was developed for detecting damages such as the delamination and debonding of the
aircraft structure. Basically, the obtained results indicate that the developed damage monitoring system could receive elastic
waves that were generated by impacts at energies up to 26.4 J and could also detect the impact damage. These results indicate
the possibility of two application by the same system construction by which the damage monitoring using the FBG and PZT
hybrid sensor system can detect both the occurrence and growth of damage and the impacts and the damage generated as its
result.
This study is about some of the results of the test performed for the purpose of developing the damage monitoring system with the advanced composite bonding structure applied to a next generation aircraft. Through the past researches, we succeeded in receiving hundreds of kHz of elastic waves (lamb waves) launched from PZT byusing an optical fiber sensor bonded to or embedded in a specimen. Furthermore, by using an FBG optical fiber sensor embedded in the bonding interface of a CFRP coupon specimen or a structure element specimen with skin/stringer bonded structure or bonded to the surface of the specimen, the test results have been proven and the fact is verified that regarding the structure of composites, variations of elastic waves according to damage growth can be received with high accuracy. The authors also suggest it is possible to detect a damage, which is generated inside composites by calculating the elastic waves.
For this study, we manufactured a structural element specimen where a small-diameter optical fiber sensor is embedded in the bonding interface, which is simulated a skin/stringer bonding structure of actual composite structures. We also developed the system, which is detecting elastic (lamb) wave up to 1MHz on our own and optimized it according to the corresponding specimen. Furthermore, an artificial damage is installed to critical area of the structural element specimen as a damage origin point. It is verified that our monitoring system can detect the variations of elastic waves accompanying the damage of 20mm2 occurring and growing from the artificial damage by the applied cyclic load.
The authors are constructing a damage detection system using ultrasonic waves. In this system, a piezo-ceramic actuator generates ultrasonic waves in a carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) laminate. After the waves propagate in the laminate, transmitted waves are received by a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor using a newly developed high-speed optical wavelength interrogation system. In this research, this system was applied to the evaluation of debonding progress in CFRP bonded structures. At first, small-diameter FBG sensors, whose cladding diameter is about 1/3 of common optical fibers, were embedded in an adhesive layer of a double-lap type coupon specimen consisting of CFRP quasi-isotropic laminates, and the ultrasonic wave was propagated through the debonded region. After that, the wavelet transform was applied to the received waveforms and the results showed clear difference depending on the debonding length. Hence, a new damage index was proposed, which could be obtained from the difference in the distribution of the wavelet transform coefficient. As a result, the damage index increased with an increase in the debonded area. Furthermore this system was applied to the skin/stringer structural element of airplanes made of CFRP laminates. Both of the waves received by a bonded FBG and by an embedded FBG changed sensitively to the debonding progress. Also, the damage index could evaluate the length of the debonding between the skin and the stringer.
This paper presents a part of the study conducted for developing a damage diagnostic system for an advanced composite material that can be utilized in next-generation aircraft structure. The authors have been working on a detection of elastic wave which can be launched from the PZT actuators, using small- and normal-diameter FBG optical fiber sensors that are bonded to the surface of the CFRP laminate under different conditions. Based on the results, it was verified that it is possible to achieve a high-accuracy detection of elastic wave by using FBG sensors bonded to the surface of the CFRP laminate. It was also verified that the damages generated on the inside of the composite material may be detected by the waveform analysis of the received elastic wave.
In this study, the authors succeeded in the embedment of small-diameter FBG optical fiber sensors into the bonding surface of the double-lap type coupon specimen, which simulates the bonding structure of the CFRP composite structure. In this study, we also clarified several issues pertaining to the conditions, methods, and techniques involved in fiber embedding. An optical loss was observed during the embedment process, which may result in the loss of both accuracy and reliability. Based on these observations, the authors developed embedding techniques for optical fiber sensors that can reduce this optical loss. Additionally, the possibility of detecting an elastic wave, which was launched from the PZT actuators bonded to the surface of the coupon and directed to the host material, was verified using double-lap type coupon specimen having embedded small-diameter FBG optical fiber sensors at the bonding surface. Therefore, this specimen has provided an artificial defect that simulates the delamination generated at the bonding interface. Based on the measurements of the elastic wave, it was verified that the change in the elastic wave depends on the damage length, which is caused by the artificial defect. Moreover, based on the analysis of the received elastic wave, the possibility of damage detection was confirmed. The successful development of this damage monitoring system would ease the implementation of structural health monitoring system in aircraft structures in the near future.
This paper presents a part of the research results on a damage monitoring system using PZT actuators/FBG sensors for advanced composite material structures of new-generation aircrafts. To achieve weight reduction of the aircraft structure, these advanced composite materials have gradually been employed for the primary structure. It is expected that when these materials are extensively employed, an efficient bonded structure such as a hat-shaped stringer will be utilized for the aircraft structure. However, these bonded structures have critical problems such as debonding and delamination at the interfaces of the laminate. Further, a single-step molding process of the structure elements is necessary in order to ensure low cost and thus affordability. However, this low-cost process results in an increase in the non-destructive inspection (NDI) cost. Therefore, an innovative damage monitoring system is required for structural health management.
In the present study, the authors have developed a hybrid sensor system that can detect the elastic waves launched from the piezo transducer (PZT) actuator using a high-speed and high-accuracy fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor to resolve the issues mentioned above. In this study, the conceptual design of an aircraft that can employ this damage monitoring system was carried out. Subsequently, the application area was selected based on cases of certain kinds of damage. Further, the validity of the damage monitoring system for the verification of the structural integrity of the aircraft was discussed. Next, in order to verify the elastic wave detectability of the FBG sensor, it was confirmed that an elastic wave of 300 kHz is detectable at a distance of 5 cm between the PZT actuator and FBG sensor using an aluminum sheet and CFRP cross-ply laminate and also by considering the relationship between sensor length and sensitivity. Through the present research results, the possibility of applying the damage monitoring system to the composite material bonding structure in an aircraft is presented.
This paper presents an overview of the demonstrator program with respect to the damage growth suppression effects using embedded SMA foils in CFRP laminates. The damage growth suppression effects were demonstrated for the technical verification in order to apply to aircraft structure. In our previous studies, the authors already confirmed the damage growth suppression effects of CFRP laminates with embedded pre-strained SMA foils through both coupon and structural element tests. It was founded that these effects were obtained by the suppression of the strain energy release rate based on the suppression of the crack opening displacement due to the recovery stress of SMA foils through the detail observation of the damage behavior. In this study, these results were verified using the demonstrator test article, which was 1/3-scaled model of commercial airliner fuselage structure. For the demonstration of damage growth suppression effects, the evaluation area was located in the lower panel, which was dominated in tension load during demonstration. The evaluation area is the integrated stiffened panel including both “smart area” (CFRP laminate with embedded pre-strained SMA foils) and “conventional area” (standard CFRP laminate) for the direct comparison. The demonstration was conducted at 80 degree Celsius in smart area and room temperature (RT) in conventional area during quasi-static load-unload test method. As the test results, the demonstrator test article presented that the damage onset strain in the smart area was improved by 30% for compared with the conventional area. Therefore, the successful technical verification of the damage onset/growth suppression effect using the demonstrator presented the feasibility of the application of smart material and structural system to aircraft structures.
This paper reports some research results for the application study of the smart materials an structural using Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) foils. First, the authors acquired the recovery strain of CFRP laminates generated by the recovery stress of the pre-strained SMA foils. Then, the quasi-static load-unload tests were conducted using several kinds of quasi-isotropic CFRP laminates with embedded SMA foils. Micro-mechanics of damage behavior due to the effects of the recovery strain and the first transverse crack strain were discussed. The improvement of maximum 40 percent for the onset strain of the transverse cracks and maximum 60 percent for the onset strain of delamination were achieved for CFRP laminates with embedded pre-strained SMA foils compared with standard CFRP laminates. Furthermore, the authors conducted the structural element test for application to actual structures. Testing technique and the manufacturing technique of the structural element specimen were established.
Some recent studies have suggested possible applications of Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) for a smart health monitoring and suppression of damage growth. The authors have been conducting research and development studies on applications of embedded SMA foil actuators in CFRP laminates as the basic research for next generation aircrafts. First the effective surface treatment for improvement of bonding properties between SMA and CFRP was studied. It was certified that the anodic oxide treatment by 10% NaOH solution was the most effective treatment from the results of peel resistance test and shear strength test. Then, CFRP laminates with embedded SMA foils were successfully fabricated using this effective surface treatment. The damage behavior of quasi-isotropic CFRP laminates with embedded SMA foils was characterized in both quasi-static load-unload and fatigue tests. The relationship between crack density and applied strain was obtained. The recovery stress generated by embedded SMA foils could increase the onset strain of transverse cracking by 0.2%. The onset strain of delmination in CFRP laminates was also increased accordingly. The shear-lag analysis was also conducted to predict the damage evolution in CFRP laminates with embedded SMA foils. The adhesive layers on both sides of SMA foils were treated as shear elements. The theoretical analysis successfully predicted the experimental results.
The recent studies suggest possible applications of shape memory alloy (SMA) for a smart health monitoring and suppression of damage growth. The authors have been conducting research and development studies on applications of embedded SMA foil sensors and actuators in CFRP laminates. The goal of this research is suppression of damage growth in CFRP laminates. At first, the authors proposed a concept of damage suppression in CFRP laminates. Then, the development studies are conducted in three phases. The first phase is the improvement of interlaminar shear strength between SMA and CFRP laminates. Some surface treatments were investigated for the improvement of bonding property by peel resistance test and single lap shear strength test. The second phase is the investigation of fabrication technique for producing a CFRP panel with embedded SMA foils. Fixture jigs were devised to introduce tensile loads during the fabrication process. The third phase is the strength demonstration of CFRP laminates with embedded SMA foils. Some strength test were conducted to obtain the design data for aircraft structures. It is confirmed that the shrinking force of pre-strained SMA influences to the strength and the crack density of CFRP panel.
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